Recommendation? The ULTIMATE beater folding knife... (3 choices)

Best "beater" folding knife? (3 choices)

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Heartland_edc

Heartland_edc

Joined
May 4, 2015
Messages
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Ok so take the term "beater" lightly. I am trying to decide between 3 knives:

Spyderco Manix 2 - Black dlc - g10 - s30v
Spyderco Native 5 - Satin - FRN - MAXAMET
Ontario RAT 1 - Black dlc - plastic - D2

(I don't want a Tenacious. Just thought I'd throw that in there because I know it'll come up)

We are doing a TON of home projects this spring (building an awning, pooring concrete, building a playset, landscaping etc) and I need a DEDICATED *fairly* hard use folder. I don't want to beat on any of the other knives I currently own, but I've had great luck with Spydercos in the past. I really wish I could get a g10/MAXAMET combo but... nope. Really wanna keep the budget at about $150 max. I hate FRN scales, but aesthetics are not a factor here so I'm trying to put that aside. I have no experience with the RAT 1, but at $40 and the hype surrounding it, its a true contender.

Thoughts?
 
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You want an ULTIMATE BEATER KNIFE with a budget of ≤$150 and you haven't looked at the Cold Steel offerings in that price range? For shame.

Check out the Voyager, Recon, and Code 4 lines - very tough knives with good materials and prices.

Out of the ones you have listed, honestly, the Maxamet Native is your best bet if you're going to be doing anything close to abuse to the blade. Tool steels are pretty hard to beat for those purposes.

I need to step away for a bit to recover from the whiplash from being asked about ULTIMATE BEATER KNIVES and then immediately being asked to take the term "beater" lightly.
 
Are you a masochist? Why get a DLC coat for a beater knife? It slices less well and more importantly it'll annoy the crap out of you to see the scratches. At least that's how it is for me. And I would go with option 4, a used Shaman might be had at ~150. For now I voted Manix.
 
The Rat 1 - I've put mine thru heck and beyond and it still looks and works great! Bonus: it's so inexpensive you won't have any qualms about the wear and tear you put it through.

As Comeuppance said, Cold Steel has some tough knives, but I like the CS Ultimate Hunter better than anything they make with metal scales!

Plastic scales?? My Rat 1 wears G10.
 
Nice. Polls are fun.

My wife and I shared a LW manix remodeling our place and it was amazing. I'd get a satin finish though . DLC will be destroyed as a beater.

I just can't enjoy holding a rat folder. It feels awkward in my hand but for the price really impressive.
 
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rje58 said:
The Rat 1 - I've put mine thru heck and beyond and it still looks and works great! Bonus: it's so inexpensive you won't have any qualms about the wear and tear you put it through.

As Comeuppance said, Cold Steel has some tough knives, but I like the CS Ultimate Hunter better than anything they make with metal scales!

Plastic scales?? My Rat 1 wears G10.
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Is it actually g10? I was under the impression it was peel ply "g10 like" plastic. Maybe I'm wrong?
 
b00n said:
Are you a masochist? Why get a DLC coat for a beater knife? It slices less well and more importantly it'll annoy the crap out of you to see the scratches. At least that's how it is for me. And I would go with option 4, a used Shaman might be had at ~150. For now I voted Manix.
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I figured the DLC would keep me from wanting to "baby" it. I have a HUGE problem with wanting to obsessively take care of every folding knife I own, and this thing needs to strictly be a "tool". I don't want to be coming down off a ladder every few hours to clean it (which is definitely something I do, even though it's unnecessary)
 
It's obvious to anyone it's the Ontario.

By default a beater knife is cheap because at some point it will be lost, dropped on it's point, or otherwise "beat on".

If you expect to wreck something you wreck something cheap.
 
Heartland_edc said:
I figured the DLC would keep me from wanting to "baby" it. I have a HUGE problem with wanting to obsessively take care of every folding knife I own, and this thing needs to strictly be a "tool". I don't want to be coming down off a ladder every few hours to clean it (which is definitely something I do, even though it's unnecessary)
Click to expand...

I baby my DLC knives, since I like the clean look. The Stonewashed blades are (imho) the best beater blade finishes, since more scratches don't matter and hide very well. You could look at some Kizer offerings and We Knives as well, lots in your price range, good materials and good finishes.
 
Heartland_edc said:
Is it actually g10? I was under the impression it was peel ply "g10 like" plastic. Maybe I'm wrong?
Click to expand...

If it's not, whatever material the scales on mine are made out of is solid, durable and has no plastic feel at all. I've been caught out in situations where I really needed some other tool but the Rat 1 was all I had. Pressed into service, it sometimes took longer and was harder to do than if I had the right tool. It has never failed and I still carry it occasionally.
 
For edc go with the manix 2, for a beater go with the rat.

I'd also suggest looking at the Byrd raven 2. Similar size and shape to the spydies but closer in cost to the rat.
 
Rat is a tried and true beater. If you get one in D2 it would be a great knife for a remodel. The Manix 2 G10 is my favorite knife in your list while it is an awesome user, I would tend to baby it but at the end of the day it is a tool. Depending on how much cutting you will be doing you want to make sure it is comfortable for you to grip.
 
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